Sometimes in litters there are gray or "blue" dogs. These are known as dilutes. They are geneticly black dogs, but they have the dilute gene that cropped out in them. http://www.ashgi.org/articles/fact_dilute.htm hope this helps.

Either way, your dog will love his new companion.

There is no rational thinking behind the male-female thing if the dogs are neutered/spayed. It has nothing to do with their compability as housemates.

Simple answer. Have him neutered and enjoy him for the wonderful creature he is.

You shouldn't be free-freeding them anyway. That's a good way to end up with an overweight dog. Put down their food, let them eat and then pick up the empty bowl. If they're not eating while you're there they're obviously not hungry.

I think this is normal for a lot of dogs. I have 3 aussies now. My wife is home all day but they will not eat until I come home from work. I had 2 shepherd/retrievers in the past and they did the same thing. I wouldn't worry about it. If they get hungry enough, they will eat. They won't starve themselves waiting on you to get home!

I have 3 females (spayed) and they get along great. We actually got the second one so that the first one would have a playmate and the third was a rescue. I think with these type of dogs they are more stable in a "pack" than as a single dog. We have a rather small house and they are inside most of the time. They are not destructive or any of that stuff and I have known people who only had one that had all kinds of problems with them tearing up furniture, etc. They will work out a dominance/submissive thing on their own. Ours have never been in an out and out fight. Occasionally we have to remind them to "be polite" around a food bowl or something

You might also try having your husband be the only one who feeds the dog so that he sees him as the source of his food, along with any treats. My 4 yr. old Aussie has always ran out of the room if I so much as pick up a flyswat & he has NEVER been hit with one, or anything else for that matter.

That's too bad, but I wouldn't worry tons. Try having your husband kneel and feed the dog treats himself as he gently pets your Aussie. Then move slowly to him standing, still petting and praising your Aussie for being brave. Eventually, get to him doing these fast motions while you praise the pup for being so strong and beautiful. Dogs don't see colors wonderfully, because their eyes were meant to see motions, so they can track prey with ease. I hope this helps, and try to show the dog the family interacting happily with your husband. It might make him more confident. Best of luck.

Somtimes its What breed they are. Some dogs are really hyper even in old age.

They need to be walked on a regular basis...my female assie likes to have 2 walks, morning & night. They look forward to it. Early on, I started stuffing pieces of bones like Milk bones into a bleached cow bone (When you buy them, they are already stuffed). So when it is empty, just keep using it by stuffing your own. It keeps her busy, and it is her job. Helps iwth boredom. Also, throwing a ball in the yard or beach really helps. She is a great retriever!!

Australian Shepherds are a very high energy breed and require alot of excersize as well as mental stimulation. If they have a "job" to do and are excersized on a daily basis, they seem to level out a bit.

I had an Australian Shepherd whose ears both stood up on their own - never knew why.

australian shepherds ears dont stand up all the way. If you herd that I bet the people were talking about part of their ears standing up. Usually the part closest to the head stands while the rest fold over

My puppies ears didn't stand straight up.

Yes aussies are very good dogs!

Our Aussie is great with our two young boys. If they get rough he stays in play mode. May nip lightly at times but ussually when they are wrestling with him. Their friends come in the house and he leaves them alone.

Aussies are excellent family dogs!

My aussie also has a wavy, cowlicky coat and does not smell at all. She is an outside dog. She is a joy.

My 8 month old Aussie does not have any odor.

This could be a sign of a weakening heart. My dog recently passed away due to heart failure due to my failure to notice any slight signs of uneasiness and take action. Best wishes for you and your pet.

Try a litle Nutracal on a spoon. You can purchase it at your vet. It gives the dog vital nutrients and stimulates the appetite.

Try Newman's Own Organic and if she still won't eat, try softening it with some chicken broth (just make sure it's not salty bouillon).

Hi, I too have an Aussie that had the same situation, a couple years back. The only way I got him to eat, is can dog food, and our food mixed with some dry.He also had chews alot , in his puppyhood. He is still very picky, and is now 4 years old. Good luck".

Since you got him from a shelter it likely that he is not purebred. But the aussie traits may still dominate. We have an Aussie/McNabb cross and he has turned out to be the best dog we have ever owned. He is short coated blue merle too. Very obedient, good with our kids, protective of our property and has been quick to learn. Good luck with your boy!

My 6 mo. old mini aussie has pricked ears that stand up like that. Her sister does too. It's not breed standard, but I like the way they stand up. :)

My dog's ears did the same thing when she was a puppy. We tried taping them like the breeder instructed. She hated it. We finally gave up and her ears stick up. She doesn't look like a normal Aussie, but now we can't imagine her looking any different way. That's just part of her personality. (We decided it really didn't matter.) Good luck!

If you got your dog from a breeder, you should be able to contact that person for help with this. If not and you're sure this is a purebred Aussie, you may need o "train" the ears to stay down. I had to do this with my dog who is just under a year. Do it right away, the sooner the better and easier it will be. Get some medical tape, and tape a nickel to the underside tip of the ear. Make sure to use plenty of tape. I took a small piece and folded it in on itself for each side of the nickel, then I placed the nickel on the inside tip of the ear and wrapped it with several pieces of tape. It takes a bit of doing but it seems to work. Leave it on until your puppy gets it off. If he gets it off right away, do it again. This will need to be done until the ears stay down on their own. Some people use a special glue to do this, called "Tear Mender". You glue the tip of the ear to the cheek, but my dog hated it and it didn't work. I finally tried the nickel thing and that did the job.

Yes.

No! Aussies should be very alert. Are you sure he is getting enough protien to eat? He may have worms if he hasn't been wormed with the right wormer. OR he may not be purebred. Alot of breeders have other breeds like kelpies, Border Collies ect, that, by mistake their females get bred by the wrong male. If your Aussie is registered you can DNA him to see if he is by the right sire.

best suggestion; take him/her to mans best friend.

You could have a "dilute" color Aussie. This does happen, although not accepted in the show ring. If parents are not properly matched, a "dilute" puppy can come of it. It is like a merle, but without the actual darker spots, be it liver or black spots, just the lighter color-which sounds like your golden color. Otherwise it could be a mix.

Yes, Aussies can come in this color.It may be a red merle Aussie, though I don't know what your Aussie looks like. I have an aussie/German Shepherd mix who is "Best friends" with my friend from school's purebred Aussie. His Australian Shepherd looks like a Border Collie, as did his last one. His new puppy, Rosie, is lack and white, not at all looking like an Aussie! Australian Shepherds look like mutts. In fact, they weren't considered a breed until a recent number of years ago! Aussies do come in many colors.

Aussies have the instincts of cattle dogs. They will try to herd, as in nipping, small children around the ankles the way they would herd cows or sheep.

Aussies have a tendency to herd anything that moves to include people outside their master(s). For the Most part it is normal so long as it is not agressive behavior as in the dog is being what one would call viscious. Working with the dog with other people around is the only way around that. Aussies are smart but can be stubborn especially when they are adults (like any other dog). Like the "Dog Whisperer" says, let your dog know it is unwanted behavior. You as the "pack leader" as he would say need to claim the people over to visit in a sence. As the alpha you need to take control. Good Luck

I have an almost 8 yr. old male australian shepherd and I live in southeast texas where the temp. in the summer time gets 102 heat index. However my dog stays in the house and gets walked twice a day. Because of the heat and sometimes the mosquitos we have decided to have him be an "inside dog".

Any tri aussie can be bred with any other tri or merle. The merles are either blue or red. Aussies who are merles have more variation in their coloring with colors that are mixed or spotted in appearance. Bi or tri aussies have two or three separate and distinct colors. Two merles cannot be crossed without the risk of serious defects, including blindness and/or deafness.

A color that most commonly has Aussies have ear problems is Red merle. It looks kind of orangish. But that's all I know.

My 8 month male Aussie weighs 64 pounds. He is not fat at all. He is just a big solid Aussie.

That does seem to be awfully tall for a four month old, but if you will go to the following link you can find out all you need to know about an Australian Shepherd. http://asca.org/About+Aussies/Breed+Standard

This is absolutely a normal weight for a 7 month old male...you will find male dogs weighing as much as 60-70 lbs although that would be a large dog for the breed. Most of my males full grown will weigh 50-55 lbs. That is normal, although you will find adults males weight 40-45. Your male is almost full grown at 7 months

Not sure, but I have a 6 1/2 month old aussie male that weighed 46lbs 8 oz 3 weeks ago - I do believe that yours and mine are at the TOP end of the weight scale ... mine's not at all fat, though, he's just HUGE for an aussie - he's already taller than my mom's 6 yr old female who's more 'normal' sized. (she outweighs him though - but that's another story...)

My mini aussie can prick her ears sometimes too...

I just took in as a foster parent an Aussie with incredibly huge ears! It looks like he's going to fly away! He is also 2. According to some websites, prick ears can be corrected before the age of 1. But I am no expert!!

My red-tri aussie has prick ears too. He is absolutely gorgeous the way he is, we did not tape or glue them. He was bred as a mini but he is 46 pounds so as a male he is in between mini and standard. We love him so, and he is really really smart!!

Prick ears tend to be more common in the smaller sized Aussies. One of mine has prick ears and it just adds to his personality.

Yes, my dogs ears are up also. Ive heard that Aussies with higher set ears are more apt to have prick ears.It's more common than one may think but rarely seen because many breeders or owners train the ears to go down with tape or glue during the first year.My breeder suggested it to me but I liked him the way he was.

Our Aussie has prick ears also. He is our 5th but the first with upright ears. I am glad to know it happens. I thought he had some Border Collie in him as he is a black tri-color.

Those are called "prick" ears and are rare, but possible, in Australian Shepherds. They develop within the first year or two depending on the conditions that the puppy grows up in. Hot weather = prick ears b/c this is how they loose heat, but it is rare and genetic.

the peeing is a sign of a submissive dog and yes there is a way of combatting it. this form of submission can be won over with slow but friendly advances of your older brothers or any male figure for that matter.first get a bunch of her favorite treats and instead of giving them to her, ask any male friends, male family members, or male strangers met on walks if they'd like to help you train your pup. with palms open and the treat in the center, allow them to feed her a tasty treat.by introducing the treat, you will be conditioning her to not be 'as submissive' and making the experience a positive one for her. just make sure if it looks like she is fearful (no tail wagging or wiggling, intense stare, or baring teeth). if she is displaying any of these signs do not continue and try to play with her to bring her out of that fearful state of mind.my german shepherd experienced the same symptoms and over a few weeks time, she was able to overcome it and now jumps and bounces on everyone happily...without the mess ^_^

Instead of scolding after the poo has occurred, I chose to reward for going outside with a treat. After watching my aussie male for habits, I have his 'poo and pee' habits, at least after eating, down. He pees immediately after coming out of the kennel in the morning, he gets a treat. I feed him immediately after he tinkles. He poos immediately after eating. This did not happen right away - I started putting him in his kennel after he would eat his breakfast for 10 minutes, let him out to go poo/pee, and if he didn't go, I returned him to the kennel for another 10 minutes. This way I wouldn't miss any accidents, or at least minimize the occurance rate of accidents. Also, when he begins to eliminate - pee or poo - I repeat the words "Go Potty". Firmly, slowly, but gently. He will now tinkle on command - or at least try - and he gets a treat every time. I will eventually remove the treats, but since we've been at this only 2 weeks, I will continue for at least a few months.

buy a kennel to put him in. it will natrually train him to hold it. dogs do not like to urinate or poo where they sleep. putting him in a kennel will keep him from peeing or pooing untill you let him outsied. i suggest you put him in the kennel after you feed him. and whenever you feel, you can take him outside and let him do his business. trust me this is the most effective way. just keep doing it and eventually he will let you know when he has to go by whinning and scratching on the door. this is how i trained my aussie.

You should be able to retrain him in a month or so. The key is patience and repetition. Every SINGLE time he poops in the house, calmly take him to it, put his nose very close and tell him “no” in a very firm voice then immediately take him outside and use a keyword. I use “go potty.” It’s important to remain calm. If you start to act frustrated, he will become confused and not understand that it’s about the poo. When he does go potty outside, reward him with praise and treats. The key is to do it every single time, not just when you catch him doing it.

Try putting the cat in a carrier( to feel safe) and bring it in the room with the dog . do it everyday for a little while so they get a chance to smell each others sent . supervise staying calm and in charge . This works from expierence ...... If you just ignore this it will stay this way .

kittens and puppies raised together usually get along quite well in these circumstances. however, if the cat is older and is being introduced to a dog for the first time it can be a traumatic experience for the cat. only time and patience will tell in this case and a try to give as much love between all your pets equally during this time of transition. one day you might find you kittie and pup playing together without you noticing.

It will just take time, don't worry just ignore it, not the cat but it's attitude, giving the cat enough attention to not feel jealous.

I`m not sure if there is a fix for this. My mother hasn`t seen her cat much since she got an inside dog and she`s tried a lot of things. From my own personal experiences, I`ve found cats do well if they are introduced to dogs when they are kittens. Older cats generally seem to not like dogs and since I`m not a cat guy, I have no clue how to socialize them……